Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
by Guybrush
Summary: A novelization of the game with a little... cough cough... little bit of aritstic licencse. Review please.Okay, another new Chapter up. Chapter 12 finally. Defeating the moblin and retrieving the book of Mudora.
1. A dark rainy night

Disclaimer: Come on you idiots, do you think if I owned anything that had to do with Zelda that I would be posting stories on fanfiction.net. Of course not I'd be rolling in my money. Now for those who are intelligent and don't need the full disclaimer just skip to the authors note or if you would like to stop reading my babbling then just skip to the story. Now for my long winded exclamation on what I don't own. (Large intake of breath) I do not own Link, Gannondorf, Gannon, Zelda, Aghy (or Agahnim), the fortune teller, moblins, the library owner, the ball boy, the demon boy with horns, the King's possessed soldiers, the moblins, the octorocks, Link's uncle, um. there are more. the thieves in the Lost Woods, those monsters that turn into stones when they are slashed with a sword, the six other ancestors of the sages who like to dwell in crystals, the three pendants, Sashralla, the Master Sword, Link's bunny form, the Armos soldiers, Twinmold (although since there are three wouldn't it be like Trimold?), Moldova, the armored dinosaur, the eye thing, Mothula, the Blind one, oh you get the point. This is a novelization of the game A Link to the Past. I own nothing that appeared in the game. The end. My disclaimers over. Hope you enjoy the story. After your done reading this you should mow the lawn you know it needs it. Or feed your fish or. Come on you get the point something that gets you off your lazy tail. I'm done. Again.  
  
Authors note: I have officially given up on my novelization of The Legend of Zelda the original game. Because of the game's severe lack of any plot (although it is still one of the coolest games around) I decided not to stretch details. For all those who read the beginnings of that story I would like to say sorry. Although to tell you the truth I would really have liked to see your face when you actually played the game. Okay enough of that. It needs no saying, but I'll say it anyway, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past might be the greatest Zelda game created. I hope you will all agree with me on this one (I actually haven't played Windwaker yet, is it any good? I couldn't stand how the game looked in commercials). And suffice to say A Link to the Past has a plot so I will hopefully not have to do any stretching of the truth. I may however need to add in another character for Link to interact with to make things more interesting. I didn't really have any ideas whom, and heck I might not. If anybody who reads this story has any objections to adding a character in please tell me. And I swear this is not just a ploy for you to review my story. Okay I'm done finally. On with the fic.  
  
Rain pounded relentlessly against the roof of the cabin. The young boy inside tossed and turned in the bed his uncle had spared for him. Why was sleep coming so hard for Link? his uncle thought to himself as he sat at the table of the house. The man brushed some crumbs from his mustache and reached for his mug of beer. Something in his gut told him drinking was probably not the best thing to do at the moment but he needed something to blunt his nerves. The informant from the castle had told him everything he needed to know for what he had to do. It was his duty as a descendant of the heroes of the Hylians to stand at his guard and protect the Royal family and now he was needed. The masked man had told him of a beautiful young girl being held in the dungeons. Then the man pleaded desperately for him, as a descendant, to rescue the woman. That wasn't what frightened the aging uncle. What frightened him was when he saw the messenger return back to the castle and on return sent directly to the wizard. There were worse things then death and the uncle knew that if anyone could cause those things it would be the evil wizard Agahnim.  
  
The man took a long drink and finished off his mug. It was almost time. He needed to get ready. He pushed back his chair and pulled the trunk from behind the dresser. Inside he pulled out his weathered shield, and his rusting sword. The uncle tied the shield to his arm and slipped the blade into its scabbard before slinging it over his back and tying it to the front of his chest.  
  
It was time. He stood and walked over to his nephew who was still rolling in uncomfort. The boy could tell something would happen tonight. Maybe the goddesses were communicating something telling him in advance that his uncle wouldn't live through the night. "I love you Link," the uncle muttered, and then with a turn of the heel he left the cabin.  
  
Flashes images flashed before Link's eyes as he dreamed. A sword shoved in a stone in some foggy forest, an evil being wrapped in colorful robes, a dark world where everything was different but the same. All seemed to be real but at the same time all were too incredible to comprehend. Then a voice spoke in the boy's ear. "Please. come and save me. Please."  
  
Light flooded Link's eyes and immediately he shot up right in the bed. It was still raining, and where was his uncle. "Please help me!"  
  
Link could hear the voice still. Could it be that someone was really in trouble? He was definitely not dreaming, he could tell that by the drowsiness. "Link, this is the princess Zelda. I'm speaking to you through telepathy. You must help me. Please I beg of you."  
  
Well that decided it. Link rolled out of bed while wiping the sleep out of his eyes and pulled on his only clean tunic. Great it was his green one, not one of his favorites, but it would do. He needed one more thing before he rushed into the night. A chest in the corner of the room held his uncle's lamp. With that he was out.  
  
Link's uncle followed the royal messenger's instructions and walked through the castle gardens. Apparently there was a secret passage somewhere around here. With his sword the man sliced away at the specified shrub. Just like the messenger had said a long dark tunnel had opened up. The uncle slid in feet first and proceeded to fall into the darkness. With a splash his leather boots landed in a small pool of water, the shock of hitting the ground sent him reeling face first into the water and sent his sword clanging off a wall. He shook his head and lifted it as he heard footsteps in the corridor. It was the messenger he had seen before.  
  
"You're not dead!" the uncle stated in utter shock.  
  
"Of course not. Why would I be dead? Your really just as stupid as I thought you were."  
  
The uncle was now to his feet. The man continued, "I never introduced myself did I? My name is Agahnim. By the look on your face I can tell you've heard of me. Good job. Now you will die, and with your death the end of the line of heroes will commence."  
  
With that two armored soldiers stepped out of the darkness and brandished their swords. "Kill him!"  
  
The uncle dove for his blade and doing so just ducked a blow that would have severed his head. Sword in hand he ran and slashed his rusting blade through the armor of one of the soldiers. The dark warrior took a step back and then attacked the old man. The man parried the blow with his own blade and became dizzy. What was happening to him? He still had to destroy the soldiers and then kill the wizard.  
  
Another thrust sent the already wounded soldier into the wall destroying his essence and deteriorating the armor. So they were conjured by the monster of a wizard. The second lunged at the man but to no avail as the man dodged the incoming stab. A well placed swing of his sword sent the second warrior falling backwards its head hitting the cobbled floor before the rest of its dissolving armor.  
  
Now only Agahnim was left. The pain came almost instantaneously as lightning blazed from the wizards fingers into the uncle's body. "Good job old man. Now you die!" 


	2. The loss of a friend

His tunic was soaked by the time the castle came into view. Guards were everywhere patrolling the battlements and blocking off entrances. A dark foreboding filled Link as he looked on the castle. Long had he gazed on the splendor of the palace and felt a warm patriotic bond to it but now the feeling was gone. The warmth was replaced by an icy cold. "Link, time is of the essence. Please hurry!"  
  
Again with the princess. Her voice was wonderful, sweet, and kind. He needed to save her. Had to, it was something inside of him that forced him to do it. It was in his blood. By her instructions he passed unnoticed over a picket fence and made his way to the royal gardens.  
  
Two soldiers were talking together in loud voices. "I wonder what's so important about tonight that the King would want to increase the guard so much?"  
  
"Beats me. Maybe his new wife Agahnim wanted to perform some more voodoo on the land and needed peace and quiet."  
  
"Don't let any of those High Guards hear you talking about Agahnim like that or they'll take your head off. We both know what happened to Garion."  
  
"Didn't he tell that old man about princess Zelda's house arrest?"  
  
"Yeah, and after he got caught Agahnim had him executed."  
  
"Wow!" the soldier said with a whistle.  
  
Link had lingered to long and crept silently through the cobbled pathway that led through the rows of flowers. "Link," it was the princess again, "You will see a bush that looks out of place. It should be easy to pick up. Take it and move it and you will find a passage that will lead you to the castle."  
  
Link found the bush but surprisingly it had been cut to pieces. With know time to waste Link slid his legs into the hole and fell.  
  
The old man was dying and he knew it. His sword hung loosely in one hand and his shield was still tied to his arm. The darkness of the tunnel was closing in around him. The hand of death would soon take his life. There would be no hope for the royal family. Who else would step up? Who else could step up?  
  
"If only Link was here," he said to himself, "I could warn him to leave Hyrule, nothing would be able to save the land."  
  
And then suddenly like an answer to his prayer a body dropped into the pool of water he had become so familiar with. "Link?" the old man, asked hopefully.  
  
"Uncle!"  
  
His body looked like it had taken a royal thrashing. The old man's hair was tousled and blood was dried at the corners of his mouth. What had happened? "Uncle! What happened to you? Who did this?"  
  
Link ran to his uncle and collapsed to his knees beside the man. "I'll kill them!" Link pledged through his tears.  
  
"Link! There's no time for that. How did you get here?"  
  
"A princess in the castle communicated with me asking for my assistance. Who did it! I'll KILL them!"  
  
"Link-you're the one! The princess has seen something in you. You must save her. Protect her with your life. You're the hero, it's your destiny!"  
  
"Uncle."  
  
"Link listen closely. Take my sword and my shield and save the princess. My times almost over. Please do your best."  
  
"Uncle."  
  
"Link, remember, I love-you." The old man's heart stopped and his eyes glazed over.  
  
"UNCLE!" Link buried his face in his uncles torn bloody tunic. "I will avenge you," he whispered.  
  
He got to his feet and wiped his eyes. The sword that had been his uncles was lying on the floor, and the shield was on his uncle's arm. He would kill the one who had killed his uncle.  
  
A cold corridor lead up to the secret passage into the castle, and Link passed through the area without a second thought. Nothing would stop him in the task at hand. The trip to the upper levels of the palace was uneventful and Link met no opposition. As he reached the main floor however, problems in the form of guards presented themselves. At first it wasn't hard to slip by the patrolling goons but then the groups of them got thicker and thicker.  
  
He turned a corner quickly and ducked into a dark room. He found a large flight of stairs at the end of the room and followed them down. His idea was basic, the deeper I go the closer to the dungeons I get. At the end of the stair two guards stood by a door with a lock. Unfortunately for Link an encounter was eminent. It was a vast room that they guarded with many bookshelves and works of art. Maybe Link could get away without fighting. So far he had been pretty lucky.  
  
He slipped carefully behind a bookcase and slid a book from its place. He glanced at the title and almost laughed. The book was called the Windwaker and had some small polygonish boy in a green tunic (almost identical to his own) on the cover. What a dumb book, he thought to himself.  
  
Without a second thought Link hurled the book over the shelves and into a painted pot, knocking it and other pots over. "I'll check it out," he heard one of the guards say.  
  
"I think it came from the bookcases," the second said making his way over to the bookcase in which Link stood behind.  
  
Link pushed with all his might and the bookcase tumbled over ontop of the guard. The other turned at hearing the noise and looked directly at Link. "Plan A completed," Link muttered to himself, "Plan B-back to the drawing board."  
  
The soldier grinded his teeth together and drew his sword before charging at Link. Great. Everything was going great.  
  
Link turned around grabbed the top of the next bookcase and pulled himself up. The guard charged right into the bookcase and as it toppled over Link hopped off. The guard pushed himself up off of the bookcase just in time to see the large clay vase smash into his face.  
  
Link found the key on the one under the first bookcases belt and used it to make his way through the locked door. Judging by the cages and sour smell Link guessed that he had just entered the dungeon. Suprisingly their were no guards to be seen in the actual dungeon. Weird he thought.  
  
His eyes moved from cell to cell before finally they met with the extreme figure of beauty, princess Zelda. There eyes met and for a split second Link felt his heart stop. Then when he heard her yell, "WATCH OUT!" he came back to.  
  
He spun around just in time to see a giant spiked ball speeding straight for his head. 


	3. Into the sewers

"Whoa."  
  
The spiked ball passed right over Link's head dropping the boy to the floor. If there was ever a time that Link needed to know how to use a sword, it was now. "LINK!" Zelda cried. He turned his head to look at her and caught a fleeting image of the beautiful princess pressed up against the bars of the door. A novice mistake on his part. The spiked ball of iron smashed directly into the floor by his head cracking the stones, and then returned to the wielder of the huge morningstar.  
  
Link rolled to his feet and fumbled to get the sword out of its scabbard. Where would be the best place to strike the guard? His body was covered in gilded armor and the only place where the armor was absent was the cut in the helmet that allowed vision. The man was at the least six feet five inches and was about as wide as he was tall. The walking mass of muscle held the handle of the morningstar in one hand and the spiked ball in the other.  
  
Suprisingly the man could speak and when he did the bass of his voice seemed to shake the dungeon. "So, Zelda, you've brought a hero here to help you. I wonder if he's related to the fried dog at the garden entrance. No doubt, I can see that same look of determination in your eyes that were in his eyes. Unfortunately for you, you don't have Agahnim to kill you. You get me and I won't fry you like Agahnim did to your-father probably, I'm more subtle. I'm going to smash every bone in your body and then string you're carcass from the battlements to let the crows and keese eat you. That should be a fun way to die."  
  
Link held his ground and charged the dungeon guard. The morningstar left its position in the guard's hand and spun over the man's head before launching at Link. Link continued his charge and jumped into the air, using the spiked ball to step off on, raising his sword in two hands ready to chop the man in the golden suit of armor to bits. The guard threw up his gauntleted arm and let the sword smash into the steel. Link's jaw dropped in astonishment as blade glanced off the hard metal of the gauntlet. The spiked ball came at him again as he fell back to the ground and smashed him directly in the chest knocking him back into the far wall causing sharp splinters of pain to enter him at many different places in his body.  
  
He hit the floor and struggled to get to his feet again. "The little hero wants more does he. Not even your father was this stupid. Once Agahnim started to zap him he just laid crumpled against that wall crying. That's right crying! Like a baby. Like a whimpering puppy!"  
  
"AHHHH!" Link ran at the mass of muscle again his sword trailing behind him. The oh-so-familiar spiked ball launched at the charging teenager just to be batted away with the blade of Link's sword. The guard cursed as the ball smashed through the wall and passed into the next room, getting lodged in a crack.  
  
"YOU HELPED KILL MY UNCLE!" Link screamed as he slashed at the unarmed guard. The guard raised both his arms to protect his face but as he did so the sheets of metal rose up and Link found a place to strike. His blade cut repeatedly into the guard. "I will kill you like you did to my uncle!"  
  
One last slash sent the guard reeling back into the now closed door that allowed entrance into the room. Link ran to finish him off, when stopped by Zelda's voice. "Link! He's finished."  
  
The guard looked up through hazy eyes and saw the boy in the green tunic who had just defeated him. "Kid. Like I said before, Agahnim killed your uncle. I-just-," the guard died and slowly his armor began to disintegrate.  
  
Link re-sheathed his sword and looked at where the body of the guard had lain. In its place sat a golden key with the face of a skull on the front. He picked up the key and walked over to Zelda's cell.  
  
"I know of a secret passage that we can travel through," Zelda said as they rushed up the stairs, "if I remember correctly it will take us to the Sanctuary, I should be safe there. Head to the throne room. It's on the main floor."  
  
They continued up and finally reached the main floor. Guards were still patrolling the floors, and guarding the doorways. Two stood at the door to the throne room. "Princess, how exactly do you suppose we get through this one?"  
  
"Head up stairs, I have an idea."  
  
They both ran up the stairway across from the throne room and made sure that none would hear them. A blue armored soldier was walking through the hall they had reached, and before he saw the two, Zelda pulled Link into a room.  
  
The room was beautifully built and had in the center a baby cradle. Link looked around. "What is this place," he asked her.  
  
"My brothers room. He died in infancy.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Its all right. There's something here that might be helpful in getting us to the Sanctuary." She moved, her blue dress swishing around her legs, and opened a cabinet up. "This was to be my brothers when he came of age but now I'm giving it to you Link."  
  
In her hand was a flat curved piece of wood. On either end was a red stripe and taped on it was a piece of parchment that said, "happy birthday." Link walked up to her and took the boomerang in his hand feeling the weight of it. Yes, this would help them get into the throne room.  
  
Back downstairs Zelda and he sat crouched behind a railing. "I want you to wait here Zelda," Link commanded as he brought the boomerang to bear.  
  
"Okay. Link, be careful." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."  
  
With that Link peered his head over the railing and took and with his weapon. He pulled his arm back and threw the boomerang, watching it fly and smash a pot, about a yard away from the guards at the throne room door. "What the hell was that?" one of the two asked the other.  
  
"I don't know go check it out."  
  
"Okay."  
  
The boomerang came back and Link caught it with his right hand. "Here goes nothing," he said to himself, jumping the railing and running at the lone guard.  
  
The guard was caught totally by surprise as Link finished him off with two quick slashes. Like the guard in the dungeon this one too deteriorated into nothing. The second guard who had so recently been checking the smashed pot charged at the boy in green. Link hurled the boomerang and watched as the guard ducked the piece of wood and was destroyed as his sword jabbed through his gut. The guard's armor again disappeared as he fell to the ground.  
  
Zelda ran from behind the railing. Her dress caught the railing and she fell to her knees and screamed. "Great," Link muttered as he heard guards from all around yell to the main chamber.  
  
"Zelda! Hurry we need to get to the throne room!"  
  
It was too late for escaping without being seen. Zelda caught up to Link, and together they burst into the throne room. "That ornamental shelf, move it and we can proceed into the sewers," Zelda said.  
  
"Sewers!"  
  
They both ran to the shelf, as archers at the door began to fire on them. Arrows broke as they smashed into the cobbled (I don't know why I like cobblestone so much but I do. It just looks cool) floor. "Help me push this!" Link said to Zelda as he tried to move the shelf. Zelda got beside them and the shelf slowly slid across the floor.  
  
Two more pointed shafts pounded into the shelf as they entered the pathway and moved the shelf back. The stench almost caused Link to open up the pathway again and leave. "So this is the sewer?" Link asked as he lit his lamp.  
  
"Yes." 


	4. Through the sewers and beyond

Authors note: Howdy everybody. Hope your enjoying Link's journey so far. I'm having lots of fun writing this. It's very self-satisfying to know that I'm writing something that people are reading. Now I have a bit of a problem. I'm going to Florida for vacation. I'll be gone for about a week. There is a good chance that I won't be able to write anymore until I get back. Lucky for my few (I'm talking very few) fans out there I'll be posting this chapter as soon as I get it done which will hopefully be before I leave. Thanks again for reading.  
  
The sewer was not the most savory of places in Hyrule, definitely not a place for a princess, and that was the reason that Link felt a bit uncomfortable around the girl. For some strange reason his mind kept on flashing back to that instant of bliss when her sweet soft lips pressed against his cheek. He shook the thought from his mind. It would never work between and commoner and a princess. Would it? Why was he thinking about a relationship when they hadn't even gotten out of the deep mess that they were already in? He couldn't help it; it was just natural for him to be attracted to a beauty like her.  
  
"This way," Zelda motioned with her and as she turned a corner. "I used to play down here when I wanted to get away from my nurse Impa. Unfortunately for me she knew these tunnels better than I did. Sometimes unknowingly I'd play hide-and-seek with her thinking that I was one step ahead."  
  
Link smiled at the thought of a princess hiding in a sewer from her nurse. The path curved and dipped a bit presenting a rather large puddle to cross. "Do you want me to carry-," Link started. He cut himself off as he saw Zelda head straight into the water. She turned.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing," Link replied making his way into the water.  
  
"I used to swim down here. This waters not dirty or anything. Its actually fed by a spring over there," she pointed with her finger. "Being back down here brings fond memories."  
  
"I can imagine," Link said wading through the cool water.  
  
"Its not much further."  
  
They continued to walk, eventually coming out of the pool. Link had a question on his mind but he wasn't sure how Zelda would answer it. "Princess?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
He couldn't. It would be too embarrassing. He needed to think up a cover up and quick. "What did Agahnim want with you?"  
  
"Oh," Zelda said her voice sounding a bit dejected. It picked up however and she ran headlong into a story. "You do know of the golden realm correct?" Link shook his head. "Well in the golden realm a masterful artifact is held. The treasure is called the Triforce. It is said that whoever touches the Triforce, the golden realm will mirror his heart. If someone with a pure heart touches it the land will be a land of peace and prosperity. However, if someone with a corrupt heart touches it, the land will become decrepit. It is said that a master thief known as Gannondorf found a way into the golden land and found the Triforce.  
  
"Time passed and very strange things exited from the few entrances to the golden realm. Evil things, creatures that were disfigured and creatures with a taste for blood. The king of that time called forth seven powerful and knowledgeable sages in which he told to seal the golden realm for good. They found a way and did so. For hundreds of years this is how it's been, the golden realm, or the dark land as people are now referring to it, was sealed and evil was trapped.  
  
"Now, Agahnim has come and with his mighty influence he has gathered from different parts of Hyrule the descendants of the seven sages. Seven maidens who he plans to use to re-open the gate to the dark realm. I was one of those maidens."  
  
Now everything made sense to him, or at least, some of the fog was cleared up. "Were their any other descendants? Of the sages I mean," Link asked.  
  
"There is said to be one. His name is Sashralla and he is a wise man who lives in Kakariko. If anybody would know how to stop Agahnim then it would be him."  
  
Link nodded. Zelda reached a wall and put her ear to it. She knocked against it and a metal clanging sound issued. "This is it. Another ornamental shelf. Link will you help me move it?"  
  
Together the two pushed the shelf and suddenly bright rays of light shone in. Unfortunately they could not be enjoyed, for standing in front of them both was Agahnim's chief guards all armed with crossbows and swords. One held a rather sinister looking dagger at the priest's throat.  
  
"Nice to see you again, Zelda."  
  
Link swept out his sword and for the first time since he got it slipped on his shield. They'd gone too far now. "Link, don't do anything rash," Zelda commanded.  
  
"Rash? Now what could I do that would be rash?"  
  
"Link."  
  
Too late. He charged the soldier who had the knife to the priest's throat. The soldier pushed the priest's body out of the way lunged at Link the knife at hand. With a quick slash that hand went flying into the air. A jab and a stab and the soldier was collapsed on the ground wishing for death. "Get him!" one of the other soldiers, probably the head of the guard yelled, causing the many soldiers to raise their crossbows and aim them at Link. "LINK watch out!" screamed Zelda.   
  
Link threw his shield up feeling the thudding of the bolts as they hit the thick metal plate. They were all crack shots. It seemed like each bolt was hitting in the same place as the last. Link backed into a corner and slid between a bookcase and an organ. He needed options. "Get the princess!" one of the soldiers commanded the others.  
  
"Great," Link tossed himself from behind his shield and rushed towards where Zelda stood. Surprisingly she had grabbed the recently discarded dagger off the floor and she stood in a stance that suggested she might know how to use the weapon. The question of her competence with the small blade was answered when she came under one of the soldiers approaching her and slammed the blade into the hopeless man. She withdrew the knife and pushed the dying man to the floor. "Next?"  
  
Link felt his jaw drop. She had needed him to save her? The soldiers approached again, this time more wary. Link made his way over to Zelda's side when suddenly he heard a click. He flipped around as the crossbow bolt flew straight at him. It was like as if slow motion when the small shaft of wood entered his shoulder. The impact of the hit sent him reeling back into a pew. "Got him!" one of Agahnim's goons, yelled triumphantly.  
  
"Finish him off!"  
  
Link shoved himself up with his good arm and brought his sword to bear. The soldier approached, a nice long sword was held tightly in both of his hands. The blade swung down. Link dodged to the side causing the blade to lodge itself into the wood of the pew. "First and last mistake," Link said as he drove his own blade into his would-be executor.  
  
Zelda was having her own problems. One of the soldiers swung the flat of his blade and knocked the knife away from her hand. The blade went clattering far out of reach. "Princess Zelda," one of the soldiers began, "get on your knees and put your hands behind your back."  
  
A click and a high pitched whistle issued from behind the soldier. The soldier let out a cry and dropped to the floor, the point of a crossbow bolt protruding from the center of his throat. The last two soldiers turned around to see Link aiming another bolt. Click! The bolt slammed into the first soldiers chest downing the man.  
  
"Get out of there Zelda!" Link yelled loading another bolt into the crossbow. Before Link could fire however, Zelda's knife shredded across the last soldier's throat. Link stood amazed as the body dropped and he saw the wielder of the knife. The priest dropped the bloody weapon and went to his knees beginning to pray, undoubtedly for forgiveness.  
  
The danger being over the crossbow slipped form his hands and hit the floor with a loud clatter. The adrenaline was spent and almost immeadiatly a shuddering wave of pain passed through him all of it radiating from the smal length of wood in his shoulder. He slid to the floor propped up by a pew.  
  
Zelda ran over to her hero and fell to her knee's looking into his drowsy eyes. Blood now stained his green tunic and his energy was almost gone.  
  
"LINK! Link." The boy's body was heavy and he oculdn't move any of his limbs. Slowly darkness enveloped him.  
  
Zelda clapsed her hand around the small bit of wood and pulled hard on it. The bolt let up and slid from the bloody hole. She threw the projectile onto the floor and stood up. The priest, who was obviously done with his prayer was beside her. "Princess, for your safety it would be best for you to leave."  
  
"Yes Father. That would be best. Link is in no position to leave however. I need to move him to some place relativly safe."  
  
"I have an idea. Here help me move him to the wagon out back. His house is through a path down from Hyrule Castle. Take him there."  
  
They loaded Link into the wagon and Zelda climbed in next to him. "My driver will get you to his cabin without a problem. Be safe, princess."  
  
"Yes Father."  
  
A whip cracked and the wagon began to move.  
  
A/N. I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading. I'm enjoying the reviews. Keep'em up. 


	5. Kakariko Village

A/n. Hey guys I got another chapter up. Right now I'm in a library in Panama Beach. That's dedication. Well I hope you enjoy. Sorry that it's a bit longer than the rest of the chapters.-  
  
Link awoke, stiffness in his lower back and pain coming from his hurt shoulder. "Zelda!" he said searching the room frantically for the princess. She walked in from the outside door and smiled at him.  
  
"Good, you're finally awake. I thought you might sleep all day. How are you feeling?"  
  
"Not a bit of pain," Link lied.  
  
She still stood by the door. "Well, if you'll give me a minute, I'll bring you back your tunic." With that she walked back outside.  
  
"My tunic?" He lifted up the comforter on his bed just to see his nakedness.   
  
She walked back in a little while later carrying his tunic. No longer was it torn and thread bare. The blood stains were out as well. Link didn't exactly have a thank you on his mind though. "Why am I naked?"  
  
"I couldn't exactly stitch you up with clothes on."  
  
"Stitch me up?" He hadn't had time to look at himself. Wrapped around his chest was a thick gauze like bandage.  
  
"Yeah. Let me check you out." With that Zelda crossed the room and pulled the comforter on the bed back. With skillful hands she pulled back the bandages and checked the hole in his shoulder. "Well it doesn't look as bad as it was last night. So you're feeling better?"  
  
"Yeah I can't feel a thing."  
  
Zelda pulled away walking to where his tunic was laid out and tossing the clothes to  
  
him. "Well in that case get dressed and get me a bucket of water for lunch. I would do it but I don't know where the well is around here."  
  
Link nodded and quickly put the tunic on. "Thank you, princess. I was dreading having to sew that hole up. I hate having to stitch anything."  
  
"Your welcome."  
  
He struggled to get out of bed and then went to the door taking the bucket up in his hands and exiting the cabin.  
  
He trudged slowly the well. It wasn't far from his house but it was far enough that he had time to think about what had happened the night before. All the memories were mixed up. His uncle dying, the guard with the morningstar, the princess's beautiful face, the fight in the church, the pain of the crossbow bolt entering his shoulder, and the darkness he slipped into after it all. So much pain had been caused that night. Not only physical pain but also emotional pain. He remembered vividly the vow he made to his uncle before the old man passed away. How he promised to kill Agahnim at all costs. Nothing had changed. He still would avenge his uncle. He still would protect the princess. He just needed to figure out how.  
  
Zelda had lunch on the table within fifteen minutes of the water being there. They sat together at the table and ate. "I already have the wagon packed up. After lunch we can go to the Kakariko." Zelda said spooning some soup into her mouth.  
  
"Why are we going to Kakariko?" he asked.  
  
"Sashralla lives there. He is said to be an ancestor of the sages. He'll know what we should do to stop Agahnim."  
  
"I know how to stop Agahnim. A well placed stab to the gut and he's dead. Good-bye all evil."  
  
Zelda laughed. "You talk about killing Agahnim like he's a simple guard. Do you truly know anything about him?"  
  
Link thought a moment. "I know he first came about seven years ago when he put out that strange fire. I don't remember it but apparently nothing could put it out until he showed up. Then he joined with the king and soon bad things started to happen."  
  
"Only he could put out the fire because he is the one who started the fire. It was a magical fire. Link, Agahnim is not a man. He might have been at one point in time but he isn't any longer. He is a monster. A dark wizard. Not any weapon will be able to destroy him."  
  
"And what will destroy him?"  
  
"The Master Sword may be able to kill him."  
  
"The Master Sword!" Link asked astonishly. "No one know's where it is. Its been hidden for ages. And even if I found it there is no way I could use it. Its the thing of legends. It may not even exist anymore."  
  
"Its not legend. I have seen it once before. I saw it in a dream but I still saw it. It exists."  
  
"And how do we find it?"  
  
"Sashralla."  
  
Link closed his eyes and massaged his temples with his fingers. The Master Sword. There was no way that he could ever use such a weapon. He had to though. If he was going to avenge his uncle's death he would have to get it. That left only one path to follow.   
  
Link stood up. "Let's go to Kakariko."  
  
Kakariko Village was the area in which most of the population of Hyrule dwelled. Outside the town sat a fortune tellers house and a stable. On the outside of the stable many cuccos, a breed of super chickens, ran wild. Zelda went out to where Link sat and joined his side. "So this is Kakariko?"  
  
"Yes. My uncle used to bring me here sometimes. Usually to shop. Sometimes to sell things we had found and thought might be profitable. I never saw the town elder though. I wonder where he lives."  
  
"I don't have any idea. I've heard my father talk to his advisors about Kakariko but I've never actually been there."  
  
"It's a nice place. Not really for me, I prefer the quiet life. The woods have always called out to me in ways I can't explain. I love the feeling of being immersed in life. Thats what the forest is, life."  
  
Zelda just nodded.  
  
As they rode into the town a sign caught Link's eye. It had a drawing of his face on it and below it said, "Reward: 200 rupees for information leading to the arrest of this criminal. He is charged with assault on royal soldiers and kidnap of Princess Zelda."  
  
"Kidnap!" Zelda exclaimed. "The only person who is guilty of kidnapping is that monster Agahnim!"  
  
"It's all right," Link chided. "It's the least we can expect from him. He knows that his soldiers aren't competent enough to find us alone. Judging by their constant deteoriating when they're destroyed I'd say that they are just summonings."  
  
"Summonings?"  
  
"Yeah. Agahnim probably created them with magic. I don't think any of them were designed for finding us. So Agahnim put these flyers up hoping that some poor family would give us up for a mere two hundred rupees."  
  
"That man is becoming more of a monster in my site by the minute. Bringing peasants into this will only hurt the people of Hyrule. Wait, stop the wagon. That sign says this is the elders house."  
  
Link pulled the wagon to a stop. The house was white and to the side of it was a small shack that had vines climbing up it. They both slid off of the wagon and went to the door. Three knocks later an old shrewd voice said, "Go away! The elder isn't home."  
  
"Please ma'am," Link pressed.  
  
The door opened a crack and a woman's wrinkled face showed. Her eyes were a dark gray and her hair was tied sloppily behind her head. It was a beautiful shade of white and from what Link could tell from her form, she was a very attractive woman in her day. "Please son, go away. The elder left town. He's--," her eyes caught a glimpse of the princess. "Zelda?"  
  
The door opened wider and the woman stepped out. "Zelda is it really you?"  
  
Link wondered what previous relationship the two had once had when Zelda ran forward and embraced the woman in a hug. "Impa! Where have you been? You left such a long time ago. What are you doing here in Kakariko?"  
  
A glint appeared in the woman's eye and like a mother she ushered the two teenagers into the house chiding, "Come in, come in. You two shouldn't be out in public."  
  
The house was nicely furnished and was scented with jasmine. A very relaxing smell in Link's opinion. He and Zelda were seated by the woman, Impa, onto a warm cushioned couch. Zelda smiled. Impa sat across from the two in a large red chair. "I've seen this young man's face before. It must be interesting to have a bounty on your head, hero."  
  
"Actually, I just found out five minutes ago. I like the picture. Agahnim's artist is good."  
  
"Agahnim," she spoke with disdain, "Is a name I would never like to here in my house. That's the reason that my husband, Sashralla, is hiding out."  
  
Now it was Zelda's time to speak. "That is actually the reason we came."  
  
"We'll get to that, we'll get to that. In the meantime would you like something to drink?"  
  
"No, I'm fine," Zelda replied.  
  
"I'm good," said Link.  
  
"Now, Zelda, how long has it been?" Impa asked.  
  
"You left when I was seven so its been, um, seven years."  
  
Link smiled. He had been wondering how old Zelda was. He would've never guessed she was a year younger than he was.   
  
"I am sorry that I left. Zelda, when your mother was dying I promised her that I would raise you like my own, but when your father took Agahnim in as an advisor I had to get out of the castle."  
  
  
  
So this was the nanny that Zelda had mentioned in the sewers. Amazing, he thought, what a small world it was.  
  
"Yes. I was so little, I had no idea what you were doing. I've missed you."  
  
"And I you. Now where did you meet this strapping young lad here?" Impa gave Zelda a look that was the mixture of a smile and a wink.  
  
"Link, saved me from the castle dungeons. I'd played down there so often, I never thought that I would be trapped down there myself."  
  
"The way he world works its magic is almost always strange. So Link's your name. I remember seeing you occasionally with your father. You came into the village sometimes."  
  
"He was my uncle."  
  
Impa read from Link's face that she shouldn't press deeper into the matter. Instead Zelda asked, "So how did you get together with the elder?"  
  
"Sashralla was an old friend of mine growing up in this village. When I left the castle he let me sleep in his house, in his bed. Not with him mind you, we weren't married yet. Eventually, however, we got together and joined forever."  
  
"How sweet," Zelda said. "It must've been a wonderful wedding."  
  
"Yes. It was quite memorable. But what was even more spectacular was that night." She stopped and immediately started to giggle. "I won't go there, though."  
  
The conversation between Zelda and her foster mother went on for about an hour before the hiding place of Sashralla was mentioned. She was somewhat hesitant to give out the information of her husbands hide out but finally a look from Zelda convinced her. "Near the East Palace is an old barracks where the ancient Knights of Hylia stayed. That is where Sashralla is hiding."  
  
Link nodded and got to his feet knowing his new destination. "Link," Impa said, "the trip is a days walk. Stay here for the night and leave in the morning." She turned to look at Zelda, "You will be staying here of course?"  
  
"If you think it best."  
  
"I do. Agahnim has many patrols throughout the land. If one of them found you they would return you to that monster."  
  
"So in the morning I head out," Link stated. "In the meantime I'd like to visit some acquaintances in the village."  
  
The sun was setting when Link returned back from his trip to see his friends. In his possession he held two bottles and bug catching net. All of them had promised not to tell the soldiers anything and to help in the struggle as best they can.  
  
Link entered Impa's and was immediately attacked by a barrage of wondrous smells. On a small wooden table Zelda, and Impa were setting places on the table and bringing great steaming platters and placing them on hot plates. "Good," Zelda said, "I was hoping you'd get back in time for dinner. We wouldn't want to have to wait on you."  
  
Link approached the table. "Can I help with anything."  
  
"No," they both said in unison.  
  
"If you really want to help, darling, then just sit down and wait to enjoy our cooking," Impa said.  
  
Link sat down. "I'm sure I will enjoy your cooking."  
  
Dinner was wonderful. A roast pig was the main course and for side dishes carrots, corn, and potatoes graced the table. By time they were all stuffed, not even half the food was finished. Link helped clear the table and Impa and Zelda smashed up all the remaining food for pig slop.  
  
Finally, Link settled himself to bed, awaiting somewhat excitedly the journey in the morning. Zelda and Impa talked late into the night.  
  
The cuccos cry was what awoke Link in the morning. He exited the room Impa had made for him and entered the living room seeing both Zelda, and Impa sitting asleep in chairs across from each other.   
  
Link entered the kitchen and toasted some bread for himself. He slopped some butter on it and ate it hurriedly. He went to the wagon, still parked out side and pushed away the bale of hay, revealing his sword and shield. He slid the scabbard over his shoulder and fit the shield tightly onto his back. He was ready.   
  
He looked back at the house before he left. It hurt to leave Zelda without saying good-bye. It would be easier this way though. He had fallen hard for the princess and he didn't need an emotional farewell to tell her that. He started past the wagon when suddenly he heard her voice.  
  
"Link."  
  
He turned and saw her. Her dress was wrinkled and her hair was tousled. She hadn't done a very good job rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She was a total mess. And she was also the most beautiful creature on earth. "Link," she said again. "Come here please."  
  
It would happen. There was no avoiding it now. He felt somewhat happy that she caught him before he left. He went to the front of the door and she grabbed him pulling him in for a tight hug. "Be careful. I want to see your face again," she told him. She pulled away and leaned up to him kissing him on his lips. He kissed her back. Finally they both pulled away. "Be careful," she repeated.  
  
He turned and began on his way.  
  
Another note. Howdy how did you like it? Next chapter Link's gonna be visiting Sashralla and entering the East Palace. Stay... tuned maybe? Well you get it. Please keep reading. 


	6. The old drunk

Sashralla sat down in a wooden chair sipping some ale as he did so. He was fighting a slight hangover from the night before. "Man," he muttered. Drinking was all it seemed he was doing these days. Alcohol was the only thing that seemed to make the pain go away, even if it was only a temporary remedy. It was all he could do to not go back to Kakariko and let the soldiers come. He missed Impa, he missed the people, and he missed contact with the outside world. Oh, another wave of nausea over took him. There would be no hope for the land. Soon Agahnim's men would find him and soon after the two worlds, dark and light would fuse into one monstrosity. He took another drink and closed his eyes.  
  
Link looked into the eyes of the soldier. He twisted in the man's grip and tried to snap a quick punch off to the man's armored face. The man just turned his head slightly so the fist could collide against cold steel. Link's knuckles ached and with that pain the pain in his shoulder came back. Another guard to his right held his weapons, his sword, his shield, and even his boomerang. All that they let him keep were the clothes on his back.  
  
"Look here. We caught the hero that's been causing a ruckus in the castle. What do'ya think we should do wit' him?" the soldier holding Link said to his companions.  
  
"I think we should take him in an' get the reward. Two hundred rupees would do well jingling in my pocket. I mean our pockets."  
  
A third soldier approached Link and slung a fist into his stomach. Blood mixed with saliva shot from between the young man's lips and hit the dirt. Link cursed. How would he get out of this one? "I say," said the third soldier, "that we just beat the tar out of him. Afterwards we can get the reward. That way we can get the money and have a good time."  
  
Link slung back his elbow and caught the soldier holding him by surprise. The man in the armor dropped him and fell back holding his nose. Well, he was out of the hold, now he just needed to find a way to get back his equipment. He rushed off into the dirt-covered forest of dirt mounds. "GET HIM!" the head of the group cried, unsheathing his sword.  
  
Link slid behind the first dirt mound and then cut a sharp left and ran behind another. He heard the metal sliding against metal of the soldier's armor and knew they hadn't given up the chase. This was all so beautiful.  
  
The lead soldier was also the only one who had any idea the path the boy had taken. He stopped for a moment and looked at the ground. The ground was dusty enough that he could see the footsteps the boy had made. "This way," he grunted and motioned with his hand. The rest of the group followed him.  
  
Link looked behind him. They were right there. What was he going to do? At the worst possible moment a rock came out of nowhere tripping the green clothed boy to the dirt. Link pushed himself up and cursed. They were right in front of him now, all ready to kill him at a moment's notice. Sweat ran down Link's face and mixed with the cuts on his face created a stinging sensation that Link hardly noticed.  
  
The soldier walked towards the boy, who was now backed against a dirt mound, and looked into the boy's face. The soldier smiled, and that smile was the last expression on his face. Suddenly a small smooth stone smashed through his chest, ripping also through the skin and muscle, tearing finally out the man's back.  
  
The other two soldiers took a step back as they watched their leader disintegrate like all of Agahnim's warriors did. Link looked in disbelief as both in their own time joined their comrade in the same death. What had done it? Did he want to know?  
  
Link ran to retrieve his things, which were now lying on the ground as if they had just dropped there, and heard a loud hissing sound. He brought his sword to bear and looked into the eyes of a large eight-legged bug like creature sitting on top of the dirt mound. He had heard of these creatures. They were called octorocks, for their legs, and their ability to fire high velocity bullets from their snouts. "Oh crap!" Link said as he pulled his shield onto his arm and grabbed his boomerang. He took off to the left and felt the breeze as a stone creased the skin on his right arm.  
  
He cursed again and dove behind another dirt mound. He heard another hiss that was soon followed by a chorus of hisses. He slid his shield onto his back and ran again trying as hard as possible to get out of the forest of dirt mounds. "They must live in those mounds," he said to himself, hoping that it wasn't the last voice he heard. "That could mean there are thousands of them."  
  
Hundreds of bullet-stones flew at him, some bashing into other octorock- mounds breaking holes in them and causing more of the beetles to crawl out. This was not good. Like a gift from heaven it seemed that the dirt mounds were at an end. He smiled, and hoped. That's all he could do. The canyon that he had been running along the entire time opened up and Link made a sharp turn to enter the pass. Surprisingly, the opening of the canyon was filled with stairs leading up.  
  
Link took no time to decide whether this was a good idea and instead just ran the stairs as quickly as his legs would carry him. His breath was becoming labored and a cramp was eating away at his side. When would he be able to stop? he asked himself. He looked behind him to see if the demon bugs were still after him. No. It was like a miracle. They had stopped their pursuit. Unfortunately for Link however he hadn't stopped and because of that he tumbled from a ledge and into a carved area of the canyon.  
  
The drop wasn't too far and the impact of the fall only knocked him unconscious.  
  
Sashralla woke suddenly from his drunken sleep as he heard a hard thud right out his front door. "Great another octorock wandering away from the mounds," he muttered to himself as he threw the door open. To his surprise however it was a boy. Or a young man to be more precise. A very unconscious young man. "A human being!" Sashralla said as he pulled the boy, and half dragged half carried him into the barracks.  
  
It wasn't long before Link came too. He felt like had just been run over by a carriage. He rolled out of the bed he was in and stood to his feet. Not the best idea he soon realized as pain shot through his body. He walked through a doorway leaving the room with the bed and entering another room, this one inhabited by an old man.  
  
Sashralla turned his head at the noise behind him and looked at the young man's face. It was cut and bruised and blood stained. It was also smiling. He walked slowly and approached Sashralla.  
  
"You live here right?" Link asked the old man.  
  
"Yes. Of course I live here," the old man replied.  
  
"Then would you by chance know where the Elder Sashralla lives?"  
  
"Now what would a boy like yourself want with an old drunk like Sashralla."  
  
"I know from trusting sources that Sashralla is a good man and I'd prefer if you wouldn't denounce his name by calling him a drunk."  
  
To that Sashralla laughed. This boy was flattering. "Well yes I do happen to know where he is. What business do you have with him?"  
  
Link was silent for a moment. "I need to ask him about the Master Sword."  
  
Sashralla was blown away. What would one so young want with the sword of evils bane? Was he a spy from Agahnim? "Who are you young man?"  
  
"My name is Link. Can you tell me where Sashralla lives?"  
  
Sashralla was still blown away by the boys wish to know of the Master Sword. "Yes, yes of course. I am Sashralla."  
  
Link was blown away by the old man's impudence. "No you're not. You're just an old drunk!"  
  
Sashralla sat deeper into his chair. "Unfortunately son, that is what I've have degenerated to. Who told you where I lived? Who sent you?"  
  
Link moved over to a stool by the fireplace, "Uh, can I move this?"  
  
"Of course, of course."  
  
Link moved the stool so that it sat across from the old man and sat down. "Princess Zelda of Hyrule sent me. The lady Impa told me where you lived."  
  
The old man's eyes lit up. "My darling Impa! How is she? Tell me I must know!" he said exuberantly.  
  
"You are Sashralla aren't you. Impa is fine. She misses you a lot and prays daily for your safe return. She sent me because she, well and Zelda, believe that I might be the one who can stop Agahnim."  
  
"Oh, praise the goddesses. I thank you a million times young man. What can I do to repay you?"  
  
"Well I'd like to know where to find the Master Sword."  
  
Immediately Sashralla's mood changed. "The Master Sword is not a toy boy. It isn't something you can just find and take. Its much more than that. There are three tokens that must be collected before the Master Sword can be taken from its resting-place. The pendants of courage, power, and wisdom, must be in the possession of the one who wishes to use the great blade."  
  
"Uh huh. And where can I get the pendants?" Link asked more intrested than ever.  
  
"That's not the question you should be asking. You should be asking am I ready to get the pendants. You see each of the pendants are safe in a palace. In the palace, traps and puzzles have been set to ward off even the most powerful men. The final difficulty however is to overcome the dungeons enemy. The guardian of the medallion. All three of the guardians have immense strength and all three must be defeated before the Master Sword can be obtained. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes. Where can I find the first of these palaces?"  
  
"The first palace is the East Palace not far from here. If you wish to retrieve the Master Sword from its slumber than that is your next destination."  
  
"I see. I guess your not such a dirty old drunk after all."  
  
"Well let's not jump to conclusions," Sashralla said with a laugh.  
  
"Whatever you say." With that Link left the house.  
  
Sashralla thought to himself, "That boy might actually be able to do it," and then the door opened again and Link peeked his head in.  
  
"You wouldn't happen to know where my sword and shield are would you?"  
  
A/N. Okay so I didn't write Link going into the East Palace yet. Look forward to that within two days. I doubt it will take that long for me to write though. Well I'm glad I have fans. Keep up the reviews people. 


	7. Skeltal fighters, and Big Keys

He hadn't gone far into the dungeon. He could go back, he could run away. Nothing was keeping him there. Link shook off the feeling of dread and pulled the steel ring on the door, opening it. A cold chill passed through his body as he looked into the room.  
  
The room was empty, void of all life; even the small tentacle creatures that had been bouncing around the rest of the palace weren't in this room. Link took another step in to inspect the room more thoroughly when suddenly bars slammed down behind him, closing off his exit. A door across the room followed in suit and Link was locked in. "Beautiful!" he cried the desperation in the pit of his gut growing thicker.  
  
He pulled his blade out of its scabbard. What was going to happen? Suddenly four figures dropped from the ceiling landing on floor. Link followed the beasts with his eyes and to his horror saw paper thin decaying flesh covering their whole bodies stretched over bones. They were dead, or were recently dead. The skeletal demons pushed themselves from the ground and eyed the only living being in the room.  
  
Link pulled his shield to bear and backed away. How could he kill things that were already dead? Probably just like everything else, with the sharp end of the sword. The skeletons started slowly approaching Link. "Come on guys, just a little faster I'm not getting any younger."  
  
He ran at one of them smashing his shield into its rib cage and cleaving its skull in half with his sword. The skeleton crumbled to the ground. Link smiled and turned just to have the other three jump on top of him bludgeoning him with their bones. Pain engulfed his body tearing his tunic and bruising his body. Link struggled to slam the blade of his sword up into the gut of the skeleton. The monster reared up and fell to the floor yellow goo pouring from the broken bones and torn skin.  
  
The other two continued relentlessly pounding their limbs into Link. Link kicked up into the closest one's ribcage, sending him flying back. With the time he bought for himself he turned and sliced into the next skeleton. The beast hit the ground spewing the yellow ooze from its cracked skull. Link turned to the last one and saw that it had become impaled on a jutting bone from one of the other monsters.  
  
The doors slid open and Link continued on through the palace.  
  
He moved along through the dungeon, his lantern lighting the way. The skeletal attacks became much more frequent giving Link the practice he needed with his sword and shield. What had the East Palace been used for back when? He had heard it from somebody, probably somebody in the bar. What had they said? He turned and haphazardly cut into the skeleton to his side. Oh yeah, something like the playground of the Hylian knights. Or the training grounds. He laughed to himself and sliced into another of the skeletons. "I wish I had this kinda practice before I saved Zelda from the Castle. Would've saved me a lot of time."  
  
He continued along until he reached the center of the palace. Or what he guessed was the center of the palace. In the center of the great room was a raised platform, which on top held a giant chest. Around the base of the platform two skeletons patrolled. Link reached into his bag of weapons and pulled from it his boomerang, hoping that his practice with the sword hadn't dulled his competence with the curved piece of wood.  
  
He threw the weapon and watched as it lodged itself into the skeleton head dropping the dead thing to the ground. The other turned quickly and ran for its fallen compatriot. Link wasted no time and slammed the hilt of his blade into the skull of the next. It fell back a step and then slid down the blade of Link's sword as he slammed the weapon up to its hilt into the enemy. The yellow goo that kept pouring from the wounds of these creatures now covered his sword; Link looked at the blade and then slid it back into his scabbard. He retrieved his boomerang and then headed up towards the giant chest just wondering what the box held inside. Link bent down to heave the box open and then took a step back looking in disappointment to find that the chest was locked. Not with a normal key either. This thing needed a whopper key. He backed away and then ripped his sword from its scabbard shoving the blade into the keyhole. A spark shot from the tip of his sword and suddenly intense pain entered his body lifting him from his feet and smashing him into a wall fifteen feet behind him. His body dropped to the ground and then smoke began to file from his charred tunic. What the heck was that? He thought to himself. He got up and walked over to a door across the room. He needed another key, and that's what he would get.  
  
A/N. Sorry that this was shorter than most of the other chapters, and I'm sorry that I've taken so long to get this out. Man, I can't tell you how hard it was to write this without making it to boring, or making it sound like a walkthrough. Luckily in my process of figuring out how to write this chapter I have already written Link's fight with the Armos Knights, and if I don't say so myself its pretty good. Well thanks for bearing with me in all the time its taken. Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon. 


	8. Fighting Ancestors: The Armos Knights

A/N. Okay, guys, this is the big armos fight. Hope you like it. BTW to the dude who tried to convince me that Gannon wasn't in the game. You're an idiot. You fight Agahnim twice and then you find out that he was the puppet of Gannon the whole time. Then you fly over to the big temple and fight Gannon in all his blueness. Okay, well thank you all for reading.  
  
Link walked into a large stone room. It hadn't been very difficult to find the key that opened the box, but in doing so he had gotten a nasty sting from an anti-fairy, or a negatively charged beast that fed off magic. Inside the chest he had uncovered a bow, and arrows. Now he was at the end of the palace. The emblem of courage had to be somewhere around him.  
  
The door slammed shut behind him and a shredding fear carved into his body. What was up with this room? There weren't any enemies around and no buttons were out in the open. Link walked around examining everything. He had learned from the experience of going through the palace that nothing was, as it seemed. Towering from the floor stood large statues, six of them in all, each of them wearing stone helmets and holding giant stone swords. On the Knights breastplate a picture of the Triforce was molded. The statues stood at about eleven feet tall and all looked down on him menacingly.  
  
Link massaged the place in his shoulder where the energy ghost had hit him. Well he was glad he had faced them. Otherwise he wouldn't have been able to get the bow and that had proven very useful. Link took one more look around and headed for the door. The room was probably just a shrine to the Hylian Knights. Strange as it seemed it would make sense, as this at one time had been a training ground for the Knights.  
  
He took another step to the door and suddenly heard that all familiar grating sound as the steel door slammed from the ceiling locking him into the room. Link cursed and turned around just in time to see the first of the Knight's burst from its stone encasing.  
  
The huge rock sword crashed down into the ground where Link had so recently stood. The giant blade hit the tiles of the floor and grounded them into nothing more than fine powder. He dodged to the left as another attacked him from behind. Link dodged the oncoming attacks from the stone swords and fell to the floor knocking an arrow onto his bow. The stone demons, known as the Armos knights just followed him. All six of them lined up looking down on Link. Link couldn't help but laugh. He would be killed by statues of his ancestors. Killed by the past. He let the arrow. The wooden shaft smashed directly into the center of the Triforce design on one of the armored monster's chest, and immediately the stone began to crumble. Link got up and ran across the room, knocking another arrow while doing so. The stone warriors followed him. He let the arrow fly again aiming for the center of the Triforce design on their chests. Another fell and joined the dust on the floor. Only four more.  
  
He ran to a corner getting another arrow ready. The shaft flew, followed by another, and another. The warriors hit the floor, their giant weapons out of commission and themselves dead. There was only one more left. He reached back to grab an arrow from his quiver and came up empty. "Oh no!" Link cried as the blade of the sword slashed horizontally sending Link flying painfully into a wall. His body crumpled to the floor with the pain of the blow. The stone giant made his way slowly over to Link's broken body. He ran at the knight, pulling from his scabbard his gleaming blade. The knights rock blade swung at him again, but this time Link jumped and landed on the moving mass of stone. He jumped again and swung his blade at the Knights helmet. The sword knocked the helmet off of the stone warrior's head and Link looked at the face astonished. It was his uncle!  
  
The blade of the stone sword caught him again in a slash and Link slid across the floor crashing through the rubble of the already fallen knights. He stood to his feet just to get knocked down again by the blade. He couldn't kill his uncle. He couldn't do it; there wasn't any way. He pushed himself up on one bloody arm and felt the heavy weapon collide into his back. Again he was pushed into the dirt. Link watched as blood dripped from his bleeding lip to the floor. How would he find the strength to defeat his uncle? Where would it come from? The only one in the world who he loved more than his uncle was-Zelda!  
  
The stone blade came down again, but this time he rolled from under it. Again it swung, and again he ducked. Without another thought Link charged his uncle's statue and slammed the blade of his sword into the middle of the Triforce symbol. The statue trembled and then it fell to the ground. Link pulled his blade from the wreckage and slid it into his scabbard. Lying in the rubble of his broken ancestor was a green stone held firmly by a leather thong. Link grabbed the amulet and made his way out of the palace.  
  
**  
  
Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, struggled to carry the heavy pail of water up the hill. She hadn't done this much labor in her life, and although it was hard, she enjoyed the times she was spending with her nurse. No, she was no longer a nurse, her friend. The brown and green peasant's dress that Impa had provided for her was beautiful in a humble sort of way, and it also provided cover from the soldiers that constantly patrolled Kakariko.  
  
She reached the top of the hill and continued on her way. It had been four days, since Link had left. In her heart she hoped that he was all right. The last rays of the sun tainted the sky with red, gold, and pink. Another day was ending.  
  
A grisly voice said from behind her, "Miss, can you help me out here?"  
  
Zelda turned and gasped. It was a platoon of soldiers and the Duke Elborn. She cursed.  
  
"How unlady like," the Duke said removing a sword from the scabbard at his waist. "I was looking for you Princess. Get her!"  
  
The guards ran at her. The struggle was brief and in a few minutes, the princess was bound and gagged. Elborn tossed her into the back of the wagon that had brought the brigade to the town and they left.  
  
**  
  
Link's tunic was ripped in many places, and blood had mixed with stone dust creating sticky splotches over his skin. In one hand he carried the medallion of courage, and in the other hand he carried his sword. He hadn't been able to put it down for fear of another attack. He made it out of the palace about an hour after he had started. The cool night met him as he stepped out of the darkness.  
  
It took all of his energy to bring him back to Sashralla's house, and once he was there he collapsed into the spare bed the old sage had prepared. Everything was rushed together, in his head. The fights, the keys, the knights. It wasn't long before he drifted into unconsciousness. 


	9. The Holy Book of Mudora

Blood ran down his cold hands as he stood in the darkness. Agahnim stood before him surrounded by a dark cloud of his evil power. His sword lay on the ground, broken in two, princess Zelda was beyond him, laying on an altar, a dagger through her chest. His uncle looked at him from a platform beyond. The pain was immense and the downpour continued on top of him relentlessly beating him. He held his hand to the gash over his stomach and felt the blood seethe out of the wound. Would he die?  
  
Agahnim looked at Link, seemly laughing at him. A lightning strike flashed and Agahnim's form changed. In his stead stood a large blue creature, rippling muscles covering its whole body and sadistic red eyes shining like rubies. The flash ended and just as quickly as the beast had come it left, leaving only the dark wizard.  
  
Link charged, anger oozing from his pours like the blood draining from his stomach. In a flash of heat his carnal emotions took over and everything went blank.  
  
"Link?" a voice called to him. "Link, wake up!"  
  
"Uh.." he groaned as he awoke.  
  
"Beautiful," Sashralla said looking over the weak boy. "You beat the demons trapped in the temple. Good, good. You have taken your first step to retrieving the Master Sword."  
  
"Oh lay off. I feel like crap and all you can think about is retrieving the Master Sword," Link mumbled back sitting himself up in the bed that he had been placed in.  
  
Sashralla looked at him a bit taken a back. "You no longer wish to find the Sword of Evil's Bane?"  
  
"You no longer wish?" Link asked back. "Great, your sober aren't you."  
  
"Yes," the elder said back to him. "I haven't partaken a drop of alcohol since you left for the East Palace. It has been. four no five days. since you've returned."  
  
"I was out for five days!" Link exclaimed. He tried unsucessfully to roll out of bed, only suceeding in sending waves of pain through his body.  
  
"Don't move yet," the old man chided. "The potion that I got from the Witch hasn't kicked in yet. When it does, though, you'll be right on your way, to the palace in the west."  
  
"What is the beast that is the master of the the West Dungeon?"  
  
"Dungeon?" Sashralla said, "I've never heard them called dungeons. But I suppose that since you've actually gone and surived one you can call it whatever you choose. Now let me think. The West Palace is guarded by three large worms. From their mouth it is said that they shoot fire balls, and their mandibles are supposed to be able to crush stone."  
  
"Great."  
  
"Yes. But you've grown much since your last adventure. This next will be somewhat of a walk through the park."  
  
"Hey, Sashralla, we're friends now. Stop being so formal."  
  
"I can not help the way I speak."  
  
"I can," Link said starting to move again, but then stopping. "Or I can't right now. It's the lack of booze I think."  
  
"Probably," the elder said back to him seriously.  
  
**  
  
"Hey, Sashralla!" Link called from the main room of the barracks that had once been the building that had housed one of the greatest fighting forces in the world. Sashralla walked in carrying a jug of ale along with him.  
  
"What is it?" he asked, now standing over the young warrior.  
  
"This book," he turned it over so that the elder could see the spine of the book where the title had been written: A History of the Western Palace. "It says something about a test to get in. Something about. look its hear."  
  
Sashralla picked up the book and held it open in one hand. "One must preform an act of faith to enter the spiritual Western Palace. A act that will only be told to those who are worthy of entering."  
  
"Yeah that's it. Whats it mean?"  
  
"You must do something that requires faith."  
  
"No kidding," Link replied sarcastically. "What is it?"  
  
"I don't know. And I don't think anybody knows. Before you can reach the Palace you must-"  
  
"You must pass through the desert of death. Or something to that affect. Doom maybe."  
  
"Yes. It says only those who are worthy to enter will know how."  
  
"Yeah but how do I become 'worthy'?"  
  
Sashralla took another few steps and then snapped his fingers. "That's it!"  
  
"What?" Link said, a bit irriatated now.  
  
"The Holy book of Mudora."  
  
Link yawned. "The book of Mudora?"  
  
"The 'Holy' book of Mudora," Sashralla corrected. "A book that only the most sacred of people hold. A rarity to the end. Undoubtly you'll have to have a copy of the book to enter the palace."  
  
"Great. And do you have the book," Link questioned.  
  
"Yeah its around here somewhere." The elder put the book next to Link and walked over to his bookshelf searching for the Book of Mudora.  
  
After a few moments he cursed loudly. "Ahhh! Now I remember where I saw it."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"The Kakriko Library."  
  
"This is the book that is held in only the most holy of places; and it's in the library."  
  
"Yes. I don't remember why I saw it there but its there. Without a doubt it's there."  
  
Link stood up. "Okay then I'll leave in the morning."  
  
**  
  
The next morning Link grabbed up his torn tunic and put the battered garment over his shoulders. Most of his major wounds had healed. He walked over to where his sword lay and he hung it on his back. His shield came next and finally he tied his bag of stuff onto his belt. He was ready.  
  
He stood in the doorway, and looked around the barracks again. It had been his safehouse for a while and he had grown to enjoy the presence there and also the company of Sashralla.  
  
"Link," Sashralla ran up to the door. "Good you haven't left yet."  
  
"No, uh, I was just about to."  
  
"Before you do, I'd like you to take this," Sashralla handed Link a pair of boots. "These are the Pegasus boots. They'll boost your speed, making your trip a much quicker."  
  
Link took the boots, and sat down sliding his own off and slipping the new ones on. He stood again. "I don't know how to thank you."  
  
"Just go and get the Sword and save the Kingdom. By that time I might have thought of something."  
  
Link laughed to himself and set off. 


	10. The Book of Mudora, still out of reach

He heard the bad news even before he reached Kakariko. What could've happened to her? How could Impa let it happen? He continued on the long road and reached the town as the sun was slipping behind the horizon. He decided against visiting Impa's house. If Agahnim had gotten Zelda while Impa was home, they might be watching the place. He knew that Impa wouldn't have given up Zelda's location, and he ruled that possibility out of his mind. The wizard must have soldiers watching the house.  
  
He continued down the street passing Impa's house and going along the path. Hopefully, he'd be able to get to the library before the owner closed the shop. The moon shown down brilliantly upon the land by the time he reached the shop. The lights were still on so he walked up and pushed the door open.  
  
"We're closing," an old man, who looked suprisingly like Sashralla, said.  
  
"I won't be long. I'm looking for a particular book, and I need it as soon as possible."  
  
"Really." the librarian said sarcastically, "and what book would this be?"  
  
"The book of Mudora."  
  
The old man dropped the books he was holding and spun around to look at Link. "What would a boy like you want the Holy Book of Mudora for?"  
  
Link looked at the man. Could he be trusted? "Can you just help me find the book?"  
  
The old man was now inches away from Link's face. "Who sent you boy?"  
  
"I need the book."  
  
The man nodded and turned away, walking back to his fallen books. "Well I can't help you. I no longer have it. The town elder gave it to me for safe keeping, and it was stolen."  
  
"Stolen!" Link exclaimed. "That same elder sent me to get the book back. Who stole it?"  
  
The old man turned to look at Link. "Why would Sashralla send you to fetch his things. Not that you don't look like a strong boy, but the elder has always been one to do things for himself."  
  
"I'm not here to argue. I'm here to retrieve the book. Without it I can't enter the West Palace."  
  
The old man laughed to himself. "The Western Palace is no place for children. Even if I was in possession of the book I wouldn't give it to you, just for that reason."  
  
Link started to argue but then was silenced, as a stone was hurled through the window of the library. The rock flew through the air smacking the librarian hard on the forehead. He grunted and slid to the floor. Seconds later another object flew through the already shattered window. A wine bottle with a flaming rag stuffed into the top came smashing right into one of the bookshelves. A stream of fire ejected from the remains of the bottle torching everything it touched.  
  
Link cursed again, running towards the unconscious old man. He picked the man up and struggled with him barely getting him outside before the building was totally enveloped in flames. "FIRE!!!"  
  
**  
  
It had been a long night for Link. His cry had brought most of the village to help. In the end however nothing was left of the library but the smoldering ashes of books, and wood. He cursed to himself as he sat in a dark corner of the town tavern. Drunks lay strewn on the wooden table's saliva dripping from their open mouths. Link closed his hand on the hilt of his sword, which lay sheathed on his lap. The leather tied along the grip calmed him somehow, made him feel somewhat better.  
  
Once the smoke from the library had reached the sky, soldiers from an outpost close to the town had come and helped fight the flames. They had decided to stay in town to find the arsonist that had attacked the store. For this reason Link had a dark cloak draped around his shoulders.  
  
He wanted to sleep. Needed to sleep. He closed his eyes but nothing but a pounding headache came. He still needed the book of Mudora to go further on his quest and the only one who knew anything about the whereabouts of that book was in the care of the Royal guard. Things weren't going Link's way.  
  
A drunk struggled in his haze over to where Link sat, and in a garbled disgruntled way asked to borrow a couple of rupees. Link shook his head and told him to go away. What would he do? After a while he stood, fastening his sword to his waist where it would be easier for him to reach, and walked out of the tavern. On his way out he picked up a mug of ale. He would go to the castle to find the librarian. There he would also rescue Zelda, again. In one gulp Link drained the mug and dropped it on the ground heading for the castle where the next stage of his adventure awaited him.  
  
**  
  
The two guards passed around the bottle of grog and laughed to each other. They should've been more careful. Should have waited until their shift was over to get drunk. Because of the alcohol Link took care of the soldiers quickly and with little effort. They hadn't stood a chance.  
  
The gates were still locked, so Link, first making sure that the soldiers patrolling the battlements weren't around, scaled the grate of the gate. He slipped easily over the battlements, and crouched low as not to be seen by any of the guards below. The next guard he met dropped from the battlements to the bushes below, an arrow stuck through his chest keeping him company on the long fall down.  
  
Link pulled himself into the first entrance of the castle via the battlements and followed a staircase down to the main floor. It wasn't too hard to pass unseen through the main rooms of the castle. His stealth had obviously gotten better. He used his boomerang as a blackjack and knocked overseer of the floor out cold, stealing his big ring of keys.  
  
Again he passed through staircase after staircase making his way towards where he remembered the dungeon was. That was undoubtedly the place where Agahnim was "caring for" the old man. A patrol of three guards caught him in a tight corridor and met the sharp edge of his sword. One had gotten in a lucky shot and cut the shoulder of Link's cloak. Blood was making its way to were the skin was split. Link carefully dragged the guards and shoved them into a corner where another soldier wouldn't find them.  
  
He continued along his way finally getting to the great oak doors of the dungeon. He pushed them open and walked down the final stone staircase. He stayed close to the wall when he saw the flicker of light at the end of the corridor. From the stairs he would have no cover and if there were soldiers ready for an ambush he would be in a bad way. Luckily there was only one guard in the dungeon. A rather fat guard propped against a wall in a chair snoring happily. Link decided to leave the man be and just pulled the keys off the man's belt. Sure enough the old man was crouched in the dark cell that had once caged princess Zelda.  
  
His eyes opened and he put his hands out, whimpering, "Please no. Not again. I swear I don't have the book."  
  
"That's nice to know," Link replied, "If it was in your library its ashes now."  
  
The man looked at Link's face. "You're the boy from the library. They captured you too?"  
  
"No, they didn't. Get up, we need to go before that guard wakes up."  
  
"He's a nice man. The nicest I've met in this place. I'd hate for him to get in trouble."  
  
Link shrugged his shoulders and helped the old man to his feet. "Well if he was awake I'd probably have to kill him, so its better that he sleeps through this."  
  
"I suppose," the man said.  
  
**  
  
Escaping the castle wasn't as hard as it had been the first time he had escaped with Zelda. The guards weren't as aware to his presence as they had been previously. It was as if these were actually men and not mere spells that the sorcerer had conjured up. Link didn't say much to the librarian as they made their way to Link's home. Link had decided that the man would be safer away from the village. The man didn't disagree with his rescuer and followed without argument.  
  
When the reached the cabin Link began a fire in the fireplace. The old man sat in a chair and watched Link.  
  
"You're the hero that the Great Sashralla prophesied about."  
  
"That's what people keep telling me," Link replied struggling to get the flint to cooperate with him.  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't give you the whereabouts of the Holy Book of Mudora."  
  
"You said it was stolen," Link said back finally getting a reasonable spark.  
  
"Well, you see, you weren't the only person to come to me asking for the book. Others, sent by Agahnim have come asking to read from the pages of Mudora. I couldn't be sure whether I could trust you. I mean you could've been a foul trick of Agahnim's. Now however I see that you aren't."  
  
Link turned from the now blazing fire and looked at the man. "So to keep Agahnim's goons away from your place you made up the story about the book being stolen?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So where is the book?" Link asked his body turned away from the man. He pulled his cloak off and laid it on his chest of clothes.  
  
"I have a friend. A former thief, a lock pick who I entrusted it to. He's now a hermit and lives near the entrance to the Great Desert."  
  
"And I can get the book from him?"  
  
"Yes. If your after the book you must get it from him."  
  
"You make it sound like its going to be challenging. I'm not just going to waltz in their and ask for it am I?"  
  
"Well. no. He will only give it to one who bests him in his weapon of choice. The sword." Link rubbed his hands through his hair. "And how good is he with the sword?"  
  
"He's a master swordsman. It won't be easy to retrieve the book I'm afraid. But I know that you'll be able to acomplish the task. You are the Hero of Hyrule after all."  
  
Link nodded. "I wish people would stop saying that." 


	11. The Moblin

Authors Note. Dedicated to Firewolf2 who reviewed it. Thanks.  
  
The trees gave ample cover from the sun's energy sapping waves keeping Link ahead of his schedule. He was keeping a steady pace, using the Pegasus boots to stay away from the king's patrols, and would reach the deserts in two days. He stopped at about midday at a stream for lunch. From his satchel he unwrapped a loaf of bread.  
  
His sword laid out of scabbard against a tree, reflecting the sun's rays off of its steel blade. It was rusty and cracked. The sword had served him well thus far but its continual use was questionable. His shield would hold up for a while still but his sword.  
  
Link finished his lunch and again packed his things before setting off.  
  
**  
  
Agahnim waited in the darkness of the king's chambers, a certain energy glowing around him. The boy was beginning to be a problem. The guards had not prevented his jail break of the old librarian. He was treating the castle, Agahnim's keep, as a playing ground, bursting in at will and taking out his men with a mere flick of the sword. More power would be needed to dispose of the little whelp and the sooner the better. He had already retrieved the medallion of courage, and was now going for the medallion of wisdom.  
  
Agahnim pulled from a sleeve of his cloak a large mirror. His hand hovered over the glass and suddenly a dark glow pierced the room. The mirror fell to the floor as a dark hair covered hand clawed its way out of the darker world.  
  
Agahnim stepped back and looked at the beasts. There were four of them. Black fur ran across their muscular bodies, they stood about seven feet tall and each was heavily armored. A long sword hung loosly in each of their right hands. The head of the beasts was like that of a dog, a long muzzle with sharp cannine like teeth protruding from the gums like daggers.  
  
"My moblins."  
  
**  
  
The morning dew covered the ground that Link laid on causing his green tunic to be very damp. It wasn't exactly an uncomfortable feeling, in a way it was actually quite refreshing. The day was warm, the sun heating the countryside. Nothing could make this day a bad one, thought Link as he continued on his way.  
  
Two soldiers on a daily patrol changed his mind. He ran away, they had spotted him before he was even aware that anybody could be near the area. An arrow sped past his head smashing headlong into a young sapling. Link cursed and jumped a stream still running along. The soldiers behind him readied another barrage of crossbow bolts.  
  
Link dove in a hole created between the roots of a great tree and waited. The soldiers missed his escape barely and stopped where they last saw him, directly in front of the tree.  
  
"Where'd he go?" one of them drawled out.  
  
"I missed him, did he keep go-."  
  
Suddenly the man stopped. A growl issued from an unknown creature, and suddenly blood flew all around the area. "Ahhh!!" the other soldier screamed. More blood soaked across the ground, and down in the hole. Link blinked through flecks of blood across his eyes, as the deep throaty growl rumbled again.  
  
Link looked through out through the hole and saw the lifeless staring eyes of one of the soldiers staring into the back of his head. Blood streamed from the corner of the man's mouth. Link watched in horror as a hairy clawed foot dropped on the helmeted head crushing the skull like a melon. Blood and brains spilled down into the hole staining Link's tunic.  
  
The next thing Link heard was the chopping away of the tree above him. He cursed again. Whatever killed those guards was ready to take him out as well. With both hands, he dug into the other side of the tree hoping to make a hole big enough for him to escape. Then a clawed hand was reaching down in the hole clawing, scratching, trying desperatly to get in. "We are coming for you!" a deep gravely voice said.  
  
Link brushed the dirt from his shoulders and climbed out the other side of the tree. Whatever this thing was it meant business. Link pulled his sword from its scabbard and turned and looked at the tree. With a consistent thudding a blade was slicing into the tree. Link gathered his courage and charged from around the tree looking dead into a vision that not even his nightmares could have produced. A dark hairy beast, lightly armored, standing on two legs, and holding a long thick saber. Blood matted down patches of fur, as the beast turned its head and snarled at its prey.  
  
"Come here!" it roared.  
  
Link turned his head and spat onto the ground, before rushing at the animal. In a blinding fury the beast spun with one arm and blade clanged against blade. A searing pain shot through Link's arm as shards of his rusty sword broke apart and went slaming into it. 


	12. The Man and Mudora

Blood roared through Link's veins spewing out the ends of his shattered skin. One arm had gone numb and in the other the shattered remains of his broken sword stared back at him. The beast glared menacingly at Link, and in one mighty leap struck at him, ripping chunks of his back off with its large claws. More blood, the smell of it was intoxicating. And then suddenly a sort of putrid, reek burnt his nostrils.  
  
The beast had suddenly gone limp. A thick ooze began to run down Link's chest as he dropped the hilt, and shattered remains of his sword, and watched with the useless weapon fall the beast as well.  
  
Black ooze pushed itself out of the hole the broken blade had created. The creature was dead. Link stepped back, his good hand reaching for his bad arm, and feeling the rough pieces of sword embedded in the skin.  
  
He exhaled sharply, and fell against a tree. Pain suddenly ripped up his back as he slid down the barky trunk, and chips of wood caught in the stickiness of his shredded back. He would have cursed if his breath had not caught in his throat. Another dark form was passing through the trees.  
  
He hurried himself, and in a desperate rush tried to reach the embedded blade that stood erect in the center of the first beast's chest. Leaves on the forest floor rustled around him, as he moved as fast as his quickly weakening body would take him.  
  
He reached the hilt and with a thickening slurp, the broken weapon pulled from the monsters body. Link held the blade tightly in his right hand, hoping, praying desperatly, that the second monster would not find him.  
  
A startling growl issued suddenly from the dead beast, and in an instant it was on all fours snarling at Link.  
  
"You should have finished it, boy!" the thing taunted pushing itself slowly to its feet.  
  
And in a blur of speed for a wounded animal, Link was in a death choke, a clawed hand closed tightly around his throat.  
  
The air that had been absent before, was having an even harder time getting into Link's body now. Light began to fade from his vision. It would end like this. It would all end like this. The shattered sword fell into the dirt sticking in the ground.  
  
"Now, boy, you die. No one strikes a moblin and survives!"  
  
A soft sickly thud issued, and then a plop. The beasts head fell from its shoulders landing on the ground. Suddenly the clawed hand that had so recently been holding Link by the neck, began to disingrate into a long black cloud. Link hit the ground and in the last glimmer of his consicousness he saw a weathered face look into his.  
  
A fire, the heat burned Link's long closed eyes. He was no longer lying on the forest floor, and the pain that had been so sharp earlier was now just a dull burning sensation. He used all his energy to turn his head. He jumped nearly out of his skin. The dark figure... the one he'd seen in the woods was now croaching over the fire.  
  
He again tried cursing, and again his voice seemed not to work. No, this could not happen now. He was... he was ... He could not move. Where was his shattered blade? No where to be seen, or held. Adrenaline seemed to have forced itself out of his body with the blood he had lost because now he could not even summon the energy to lift his good arm.  
  
The dark figure was holding something into the flames on a pair of tongs. Link struggled again to move.  
  
"You'll never heal if you keep trying to move. Not to mention if you keep rocking like that then your going to fall out of that hammock."  
  
Link stopped moving. The voice that he had just heard was nothing like the gruff growls that he had heard earlier today.  
  
"You—you saved me?"  
  
"Yes. Moblins are tricky little buggers. And you really couldn't do much with a broken sword. Or even a full sword in the condition of yours."  
  
"What happened to it?"  
  
The dark figure stood pulling the tongs out of the fire. After a second he used his forefinger to touch the glass flask, and walked over to Link's tattered form.  
  
"Drink this. It'll help."  
  
Link no longer thinking clearly reached a shaking hand up and took the flask, and began to drink it. A rush of energy poured into his body as the draft first touched his lips. The liquid drained down his throat, and in a matter of seconds the glass flask was empty.  
  
"What was in that?"  
  
The dark figure, a man Link could now see, took the glass flask up. "A small mixture of different mushrooms, and herbs, and stuff of that sort. A witch up past Kokiri makes it for a certain price. I helped her out once and she gave me her recipe."  
  
"Ah. My uncle used to visit her every so often."  
  
"She is a very helpful person if you know how to deal with her. She can be very fickle at times."  
  
There was a moment of silence. Link with his new found energy lifted his body to a sitting position and found his left arm, and back and chest wrapped in bandages. He again remembered those beasts. What had the man called them? Moblins. It had called itself a Moblin as well. "What happened to the Moblin?" Link asked again.  
  
The man put the flask down on a small earthen table across the room. "The moblin, the one that you battled, I killed. In fact I also killed the other three too."  
  
"What was that black fog?"  
  
The man let out a hearty laugh. "That fog was the moblin passing over into the dark realm. They'll reform there and then die."  
  
"The dark realm?"  
  
"Yeah the dark realm. That's where they live. Someone had to have summoned them here. They don't have the brains to find a way out of the dark world."  
  
"Summoned?"  
  
"Yeah, a wizard or something."  
  
"Agahnim," Link stated sullenly.  
  
"Most likely."  
  
Link let his feet hit the ground and tried his luck standing. There were no immediate problems. So he began to walk towards the man. "You're the one I came here looking for aren't you?"  
  
"Did that old man send you?"  
  
Link thought about the cowardly librarian. "Yeah. He sent me."  
  
"Then you're here for the book of Mudora?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Okay, hold on, give me a second."  
  
The dark figure slipped away into the darkness of the... of the whatever there were in.  
  
"Here," he said after he returned throwing a book with a leather green cover on Link's chest.  
  
Link caught the book. There was no pain in his left arm as the book hit his palm. "That stuff you gave me. Did it heal me?"  
  
"Well you're a quick one aren't you?" the man said with a laugh.  
  
"Wait a second! I thought there was a challenge involved. Something about beating you with a sword?"  
  
"To tell you truth I'm somewhat tired of this game the old man made up. So if you don't tell anyone I won't tell anyone. And either way your out of a sword."  
  
"That's true," Link said with a smile. He didn't know why he was smiling. This stranger just seemed to helped him feel more open.  
  
"Why'd you want the book anyway? You a devout or something?"  
  
"Hardly. I need the book to travel through the barrier in the desert. So I can enter the Western Palace."  
  
The man looked at him with his piercing eyes. "You plan to go in the palace. Lad, you might be healed but you don't have enough skill to go into that palace. Not to mention, again you are out of a sword. O'course that's not a problem as much as your skill."  
  
"I have to go. I've got to save the princess."  
  
"Well if your that sure of yourself than I have something for you." The man went back into the depths of his cave and came back with a sword in his hand. "This is my back-up sword. When you die make sure your not to far in the palace. I don't want to have to look long to get my sword back."  
  
"What? I'm not going to die," he said taking the sword from the man.  
  
"How about this boy. You stay here for three days and by the time you leave, I'll have you ready to tread your way into that palace."  
  
"I suppose if that's the only way I'll survive," Link said with a grin. Truthfully he hadn't been ready to leave this kindly man anyway. Little did he know that the training the man had proposed would be the most trying thing he had ever gone through with.  
  
The days were long, seemed to lengthen with time. Three days later Link stood at the entrance to the Great Desert. The sword strapped to his back, a yellow, and brown tunic on him. He was ready.  
  
A/N. Wow. Its been awhile hasn't it? Well I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Lol. Review please. 


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